noun
rambling talk; vague remarks
Uncommon literary word for idle, aimless, or vague talk; often carries a poetic or old-fashioned feel. In modern Japanese, とりとめのない話 or たわごと are more common.
老人はそぞろごとを繰り返すばかりだった。
The old man just kept repeating rambling talk.
彼の話はそぞろごとで、要点がつかめなかった。
His talk was vague remarks, and I couldn't grasp the point.
More common and direct word for nonsense or foolish talk; そぞろごと is rarer and more literary, emphasizing aimlessness rather than foolishness.
Common modern phrase for rambling, disconnected talk; そぞろごと is an older, more compact equivalent.
The derivation is uncertain. 漫ろ (そぞろ) is an old adverb/noun meaning 'aimlessly' or 'without reason', and 言 (こと > ごと) means 'word' or 'talk'. The compound likely arose in classical Japanese for idle or vague speech.